Day 32 - Jamestown to West Fargo, ND - 104 miles (108 for some) - 914 feet of elevation gain

Navigating North Dakota by road bike has proven to be a challenge. In PA, we are used to having like 8 ways to go somewhere, and there is always a “back way.” In ND, that is not the case, there is no back way that will save time, there is one way. In our case, the way must be paved (no gravel tires here). Today was a day of navigating around gravel roads and unexpected road construction.

We pulled out of Jamestown and navigated through a neighborhood. The wind was friendly this morning and was giving us a gentle push towards our goal. We were just commenting on how nice the morning was and our gentle pace was allowing us to warm up the legs, when two of the boys learned what happens when you don’t communicate. In a flash I heard the bikes touch and the sound of one falling, then I saw one of the boys rolling. Everyone was ok, just some scrapes and bruises. But it meant someone was taking a van ride after 5 miles of riding.

Our SAG (Support and Gear) vehicle typically goes out in the morning, maybe stops at the grocery store, then navigates to our first water/snack stop around the 20 mile mark. This morning we had to call them to come back for the pick up. The van roughly stops every 20 miles, most days we are all out of water by the van stop. By our last stop today, we had 3 van riders and 8 cyclists on the road, in addition to the two in the van driving and navigating.

The scenery didn’t change too much from yesterday, so I didn’t take too many pictures. And we were on the interstate for at least 27 miles, some more for me and 2 of the guys because of a navigation error. At a previous stop we got off the interstate only to get right back on. So when the next seeming blip in the navigation came, I thought it was the same get off and get back on, but it wasn’t. Instead of trying to walk our bikes backwards or cross multiple lanes of traffic, three of us just biked two more exits and then made our way to the lunch stop (which is why we have 4 more miles than the others). Some got off the exit and others were able to turn around, the good thing is we all arrived at the lunch stop safely.

After lunch it was back on the interstate for 10 more miles. We got off the exit only to learn from the SAG vehicle that our road was closed, as it was torn up for construction. So back on the interstate for another two exits and some navigating around to get back on our route. When we reached the town of West Fargo, there was more road construction, but this time we ignored the “Road Closed” sign and biked on through.

We arrived at our hotel and had to wait for the rooms to be finished. This has become a trend lately, as hotels are short staffed and can’t clean the rooms in time for the check-in. The last two nights it was after 6pm until we got in our rooms. It is certainly testing our patience waiting for a room after 8 hrs in a bike saddle, when all you really want is a shower and a bed. We went to dinner at 7:15pm and I surprised them with an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ place. I think it was a hit, at least it was a first for 85% of the group.

Tomorrow we have a “short” day of only 54 miles, so we get to sleep in a little 🤗.